Épisodes

  • Sermon: Holding It Together When Everything Is Falling Apart

    Sermon: Holding It Together When Everything Is Falling Apart
    Nov 15 2025
    Title: Holding It Together When Everything is Falling Apart | Preacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Jackson | Text: 2 Thessalonians 2:1–8, 13–17 | Liturgical Date: Pentecost 22, Proper 27 C | Calendar Date: November 9, 2025 | Location: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County serves Fish Creek and other areas in Northeast Wisconsin. The following transcript was produced with the assistance of AI. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. This Veteran’s Day weekend, of course, we are very thankful for the service of our veterans and our armed forces, and above all, we thank the Lord for the freedom of religion that is secured by their work as Christians. That is the greatest freedom that we enjoy. We praise and thank the Lord for this freedom of religion here at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and the way that has been secured by armed forces. Now, I myself am also a veteran and I enjoyed my time in the service. Something I really enjoyed about my time in the service was singing cadences. You know, those songs that soldiers or marines or airmen or sailors will sing when they’re marching or when they’re running. Those are cadences. Now, I’m not gonna sing any for you today. I like singing and that’s probably why I like cadences. But most of these are not pulpit appropriate. But let me tell you about a couple themes that, or one very big theme that came up. Military Cadences and Facing the Worst In those cadences, and that’s all the terrible things that you could expect in the military. There was one person that you’d end up hearing about quite a bit, a person named Jodi. Oh, we couldn’t stand Jodi. You know who Jodi is? Jodi is the guy back home who steals your girl when you’re away training in the military. Oh, we couldn’t stand Jodi. We’d sing about Jodi. We’d sing about other terrible things. We’d sing about the terrible food, the terrible living conditions, the terrible leadership we had. We’d even sing about dying and bullets whizzing by your head, and that was a deliberate thing, by the way. That was a deliberate part of the training. You see what that was teaching you? Is that even when these things happen, even when Jodi is stealing your girl back home, even when the food is terrible and the living conditions are rough, and when bullets are whizzing by your head, and even if you face the threat of death, you keep on marching, you keep on working to fulfill your mission. And St. Paul was indicating the same thing to the Thessalonians today in our epistle lesson, and that’s our theme for today: holding it together when everything is falling apart. And the falling apart that St. Paul is referring to in our lesson today is the ultimate and final falling apart. When the whole world seems to be falling apart and the Thessalonians, it appears, seemed to think that the return of Christ was right around the corner and they could see things falling apart around them. Expect the Worst: Apostasy and the Antichrist And it seemed as if this was causing no small number of their congregation distress, and maybe some of them were falling away from the faith and losing heart and confidence. And Paul helps to build ’em up in the faith, but he does so through, in the first instance, something that might seem counterintuitive. He tells the Thessalonians, well, expect the worst. Yeah, things might be bad and they are probably gonna get worse. He tells the Thessalonians, you might think to yourself, my goodness, why would he be telling the Thessalonians to expect the worst? Well, first of all, let’s take a look at how he tells the Thessalonians that they can expect the worst. He says, look, before the coming of the Lord, let no one deceive you for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or object of worship, so he takes a seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. What is Paul talking about there? He’s talking about two themes that we see consistently in prophecies of the end times, whether these are prophecies that Christ himself uttered or what he himself is here discussing or what we might find in the Book of Revelation. And the two themes are this: apostasy and the arising of the antichrist. Now apostasy, that’s what he calls rebellion here in a somewhat different term. What is apostasy or the rebellion that he is talking about here? Apostasy is when those who claim to be Christian turn their backs on the Christian faith and fall away from the faith and oppose the faith even. And Paul is saying, look. You might think that it’s bad now, but guess what? The time is coming when huge numbers of those who you considered your Christian brothers and sisters will turn away from the faith. And not only this, but many of them, he says, will be led astray ...
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    22 min
  • Sermon: Uniquely Blessed to Uniquely Serve

    Sermon: Uniquely Blessed to Uniquely Serve
    Oct 13 2025
    Text: 1 Timothy 2:1–15 | Liturgical Date: Pentecost 15, Proper 20 C | Location: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County | Preacher: Rev Dr. Christopher D. Jackson Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church serves Sturgeon Bay and other areas in Door County. One thing I’m very thankful for as a pastor is that I’ve had pretty long pastorates. My first call was about eight years. I’m now about—let me think here—eleven and a half years here at St. John’s and St. Peter’s. And I thank the Lord for this. You know, I think that’s an indication that, all in all, things are going well, and together we are making progress for the Lord here in northeast Wisconsin. A Humorous Failure: My Shortest Job But not every job I’ve had has been a success. Actually, my worst record in a job? One day, one shift. I did so terribly that I decided to fire myself before they had the chance to fire me. Your pastor—the worst waiter in the world. In one shift, I think I made every single mistake a waiter could. You can ask my family about this. I get frustrated and can barely handle it when they’re asking me to put in orders at a drive-thru. Doesn’t work. Imagine a whole table putting their orders in for me, right? Didn’t work. I’m good at focusing on one thing, and I could focus on that one thing hyper-intensely for a long period of time. In college, I could stay up until three in the morning studying my Greek, and I was really good at that. But at three in the morning on that shift at Steak ‘n Shake? No good. Unique Individuals Called to Serve The Lord has made us all unique individuals, and the Lord calls us to serve Him in ways that reflect that. That’s a big part of what we’re going to be talking about today—that we are to use our unique blessings to bless others uniquely. This is tied to a very particular Christian teaching. I’ve been hitting this time and time again from the pulpit, especially at funerals. For those of you in our funeral meal train, you’ve heard this a few times already, but I think it bears repeating. Christian teaching is unique in how it deals with us as unique individuals. Contrasting Worldviews: Atheism and Eastern Religions Think about some of the most popular viewpoints out there with regards to a view of the world. Atheism—what do the atheists teach about us? They teach that we are an accident. We just happened to come to be. Time and matter are in this big box, shaking all around, and we just happened to jumble together and fall out of that box. That’s what the atheists teach. And they teach something pretty similar about what happens when we die—time and matter just take us apart and throw us back into that box to jumble together into something else. The Eastern religions, very popular these days—my goodness, these are some of the most whitewashed ideas out there. People don’t understand what they actually look like when you get up close and personal. Hinduism, Buddhism—very popular. People think they’re entirely unproblematic, but they actually teach something even darker about us humans. Atheism teaches that we’re an accident. The Eastern religions teach that we’re a mistake. Essentially, they teach that our individual existence is a problem to be overcome. Salvation for them is us as individuals ceasing to exist. They come at it from slightly different directions, but that theme is the same. Christian Teaching: Beloved Creations of a Loving God But Christian teaching is this: we are beloved creations of a loving God. And that God is a creator not just in general, but especially in particular. Psalm 139: “For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Great are your works. My soul knows this very well. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” More on that a little later in the sermon. “You wove me together in the depths of the earth before a day of my life came to be. You knew it all together. All my days were written in your book, oh God.” I’m paraphrasing a good bit here, but that’s what Psalm 139 teaches. The eternal triune God, out of that eternal love, created us each as beloved, particular individuals. Created, Redeemed, and Sanctified Individually God has created us individually, and God has redeemed us individually. Jesus did not just die for the whole world in general. Jesus died for every person in particular. Jesus died for you to take away your sins. And that has been fully and wholly accomplished. His righteous life was lived for you, and in His precious, atoning death, He died for you. God has created you individually, He has redeemed you individually, and He has sanctified you individually. Understanding Sanctification Now, sanctification has two parts. What is sanctification? It comes from the Latin word sanctus—we sing the Sanctus a little later in the liturgy. It means holy. Sanctification is when the holiness of God is applied to us individually. That holiness of God was applied to us in the waters of holy ...
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    25 min
  • Sermon: 3 Biblical Patterns of Women’s Service

    Sermon: 3 Biblical Patterns of Women’s Service
    Oct 7 2025
    Title: 3 Biblical Patterns of Women’s Service | Text: 2 Timothy 2:1–13 | Liturgical Date: Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23 C) | Calendar Date: October 12, 2025 | Location: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County | Preacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Jackson Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County serves Sturgeon Bay and other areas in Northeast Wisconsin. Address: 316 W Main St, Forestville, WI 54213Phone: (920) 856-6420 The following transcript was made with the assistance of AI: TRANSCRIPT In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today’s epistle lesson from St. Paul to his protégé, Timothy, includes these words: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well” (2 Timothy 1:5). This passage is especially fitting as we reflect on the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) and the vital roles women play in the church. Paul highlights Lois and Eunice as examples of faith who shaped Timothy’s spiritual life. Today, we’ll explore three distinct patterns of service by women in the New Testament and consider how these patterns inspire us today. This sermon will serve as a teaching moment, examining how God used women to serve His people in the early church and how their examples guide us in our faith and service. Material and Financial Support for Ministry One clear pattern in the New Testament is how God used women to provide material and financial support for ministry. In Luke 8:1–3, we read: “Soon afterward [Jesus] went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” These women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and others—supported Jesus and His disciples, enabling their ministry to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God. This pattern continues in the early church. In Acts 16, we meet Lydia, a seller of purple goods from Thyatira and a worshiper of God. After hearing Paul’s message, “the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (Acts 16:14). She and her household were baptized, and she urged Paul and his companions to stay at her home, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay” (Acts 16:15). Lydia’s home became a base for Paul’s ministry, supported by her resources as a successful businesswoman. This is one reason the LWML adopts purple as its color, symbolizing women’s material support for ministry. In Romans 16:1–2, Paul commends Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, saying, “Welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.” Phoebe likely carried Paul’s letter to the Romans and supported his ministry financially and materially. I’m reminded of my grandmother, Ruth McGhghy, a pastor’s wife in the LCMS, who served faithfully for decades. At 96, she remains a woman of great faith and service. I recall visiting her in rural Illinois, at a church at the intersection of two gravel roads—far more remote than our St. Peter’s in this town of 430. As a six-year-old, I ran around the sanctuary with my brother until Grandma Ruth gently corrected us, saying, “Don’t run. This is the Lord’s house.” Years later, when I shared that memory with her, we laughed, but I remain thankful for her example. She taught me that even a modest church is where God gives His gifts, a lesson that has stayed with me. Today, the women of our congregation and the LWML continue this pattern. They ensure the Lord’s Supper is prepared each week, care for the church’s adornments, and support mission work locally and globally. The LWML sends millions of dollars worldwide to advance the gospel, and all are invited to contribute—men included—through offerings like the LWML mite boxes. Messengers of the Gospel The second pattern is how God used women as messengers within their communities to share the good news of Christ. We see this with Lydia, who, after her baptism, shared the gospel with her household, leading them to faith. Another example is the Samaritan woman in John 4. After Jesus revealed Himself as the Christ, she “left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’” (John 4:28–29). Her testimony brought many to Jesus. In Matthew 28:8–10, after the resurrection, women at the empty tomb were commissioned by Jesus Himself: “They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and ...
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    17 min
  • Sermon: Office of the Holy Ministry

    Sermon: Office of the Holy Ministry
    Sep 29 2025
    Text: 1 Timothy 3:1–13Liturgical Dte: Pentecost 16, Proper 21 CCalendar Date: September 28, 2025Preacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. JacksonLocation: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County The following transcript was generated with the assistance of AI. It doesn’t match the sermon as preached 100 percent. Invocation In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Community Garden Tour About 15 years ago, I was taking a garden tour, community garden tour in Lexington, Kentucky. The congregation that I was serving there was considering starting up a community garden, and so there was an organized community garden tour, so I went around and saw all the various community gardens that had sprung up around the city there. And I noticed there were two models of community garden. There was what you might call the communal model. So in the communal model, basically there was one huge garden and everybody participated in, had to share equally in taking care of the garden and also share equally in the produce of the garden. So that was one model. And then on the other hand, there was another model, you might call it the micro garden model. So basically there was a big large community garden, but that big community garden was subdivided into small plots. And it wasn’t that everybody took care of the whole thing together, but each household or each group that bought one of those plots or rented one of those plots had that plot as their responsibility to take care of and to steward. Comparison of Garden Models And guess which one looked way better than the other one, the one where it was one person’s job to take care of it. The gardens where it was everybody’s communal responsibility without fail looked terrible. Weeds were everywhere. The ground was all cracked and crumbling because it hadn’t been watered in weeks. Things were diseased and overgrown. The gardens on the other hand where each person had their task to take care of that particular thing looked beautiful. Down in Kentucky, you can grow big, huge tomatoes. You know, we’re lucky to eke in a tomato crop here by the end of August down there. Man, these tomatoes were just big. And my goodness, the tomato vines were just cracking under the pressure of the big, huge, beautiful tomatoes. The corn was higher than my head. They were gorgeous. And I would guess that each individual household that had one of those plots had not only enough produce for themselves, but enough to share with others as well. Diffuse Responsibility In the military, I was talking to my son about this and in his military leadership class, they talked to him about the dangers of diffuse responsibility. And basically, if you would sum it up, it’s this: if something’s everybody’s job, well then it’s nobody’s job and it doesn’t get done. And that has everything to do with what we’re talking about today. Today we’re taking up the doctrine, or rather the Office of the Holy Ministry. We might otherwise just call it the office of pastor. We’re going to be talking about it today, not talking about me, but rather talking about the office or the job that I fill as a great blessing that the Lord has given us, and it’s related to the central task of the church. Church Architecture and Teaching One of the reasons I love this congregation, I love this church building, is because just about everything in this place teaches us something. One of the wonderful things that teaches us stuff are our stained glass windows. And as you’re walking up and down from communion today, maybe you take a look at this stained glass window over here. It’s one of our least prominent ones, unfortunately, ’cause it’s a very meaningful one. And if you come up and you look at this window over here on the left side of the organ, you might remember it in your mind’s eye as we talk about it, there is a church building and it’s sitting on top of a set of keys. The Office of the Keys What is that teaching? It’s teaching about the central foundational job that the church has, the church as a whole, which is the exercise of the Office of the Keys. You might think, Pastor Chris, what? That’s a strange word. Office of the keys. What’s that? Matthew Chapter 16. There we find that Christ says these words. I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. In a pretty similar passage, very similar phraseology, Jesus spells out a little bit more clearly what that means to have the keys of heaven. John chapter 20 to his disciples gathered in the upper room. Jesus says this. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. The Office of the Keys is this: the Lord has granted his church here on earth the power and the authority to forgive sins, and that is the central ...
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    23 min
  • Sermon: Three Reasons to Repent Today

    Sermon: Three Reasons to Repent Today
    Aug 28 2025
    Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County 316 W Main St, Forestville, WI 54213(920) 856-6420https://doorcounty.church Text: Isaiah 66:18–23Liturgical Date: Pentecost 11, Proper 16 CCalendar Date: August 24, 2025Location: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door CountyPreacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Jackson TRANSCRIPT The following transcript was written with the assistance of AI. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today, we’re taking up the theme: Three Reasons to Repent Today. The Case for Procrastination There’s a certain t-shirt that you can see sometimes in the tourist shops at vacation places. You might see someone wearing it out on the street. I love the t-shirt. It’s a slogan t-shirt, and it says something to this nature: “Procrastinators of the world unite… Tomorrow.” I love that t-shirt because I think procrastination is really underrated. Now, certainly, there are some things that you gotta take care of today, you gotta take care of immediately. We’ll be talking about one of those things, but a lot of times, procrastination solves a huge amount of my problems. Dads, you know this, right? When a kid comes to you and says, “Oh, my elbow hurts,” or “Oh, I feel sick, please take me to the hospital,” what do you say? “Just sleep on it. Wait until tomorrow, wait a couple days, and if you still feel bad in a couple days, then we’ll take you to the doctor.” About 99 times out of a hundred, guess what? That solves the problem. Procrastinators of the world unite—tomorrow. I’m holding my hand up for it and saying that it’s a good thing. However, there are things that you ought to take care of today. If your kid comes to you and she’s got a broken arm, you take her to the hospital immediately, right? Well, I’m here to tell you that there are wounds that we all have, which are much more serious than a broken bone. That’s the brokenness of our hearts, our hardness towards God and our hardness towards our neighbor, the brokenness of our souls. We ought not procrastinate about this. Procrastination is oftentimes a good thing, but not when it comes to our sins. So, our theme, as we said, is Three Reasons to Repent Today. Reason One: The End Is Near The first reason for repentance is because the end is near, and the day of judgment is drawing nigh. Many believe they have time. Back in 313 AD, one of the most powerful men the world has ever seen, a man named Constantine the Great, was the emperor of the Roman Empire. He declared in 313 that Christianity was now legal. You didn’t have to be a Christian in secret, but rather, it was legitimate and licit to be a Christian in the Roman Empire. Not only this, but he did a great deal to promote the cause of Christianity. In a few minutes, we’re going to recite the Nicene Creed. We would not have the Nicene Creed if not for Constantine the Great. He convened councils and was influential in those councils that helped to formulate the Nicene Creed. Not only that, but he also helped to build churches all across the Roman Empire. Interestingly enough, his mother was his right-hand woman in building many of these churches. She was right at the center of this church-building effort. All across the Roman Empire, Helena, a wonderful woman in many ways. Constantine was also responsible for helping to distribute the scriptures across the Roman Empire, and we have physical evidence of this to this day. One of the oldest bound copies of the entire Christian Bible is a document called Codex Sinaiticus. Why is it called that? That’s Latin—Codex more or less means books, Sinaiticus means at or from Sinai. So, it was a book, a Bible, that was found at a monastery at Mount Sinai. Many people theorize that this is a copy of a whole set of Bibles that Constantine commissioned to be sent out across the Roman Empire. He was a great promoter of the Christian faith, and yet, there is a peculiar aspect of his life. He wasn’t baptized until 24 years later, 24 years after he decreed that Christianity was now legal. He was only baptized in 337, on his deathbed, and there was all kinds of confusion as to why he did that. There were things that he didn’t exactly have right. But one of those reasons, the key one that we’re going to talk about today, is that Constantine thought he had time. He thought he had time that God had never promised. Throughout history, and even today, many people have delayed repentance, believing that they have time. “I know that I need to address my drinking problem, but let’s leave that for another day.” “I know that I should either marry or get my own living accommodations rather than continuing to live with this man or this woman that I’m not married to. We will worry about that some other time.” “I know that I need to check my anger and my wrath against my family, but it’s the only way I can seem to get through. So, I’m gonna keep on with this way, ...
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    18 min
  • Sermon: Three Myths About Faith

    Sermon: Three Myths About Faith
    Aug 13 2025
    Text: Hebrews 11:1-16 | Liturgical Date: Pentecost 9, Proper 14 C | Calendar Date: August 10., 2025 | Location: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County | Preacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Jackson Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County316 W. Main St.Forestville, WI 54213920-856-6420https://doorcounty.church I had the great privilege this last week of going to Fort Benning in western Georgia, right on the border of Alabama. My son, Thomas, graduated from Airborne School on Friday. Airborne School is where you learn how to deploy from an airplane via parachute to defend the nation. Twenty-one years ago, believe it or not, your pastor was a lean, mean fighting machine. My weapon was the word of God as a chaplain candidate. I went through Airborne School as well and graduated 21 years ago. It was a great honor to earn the paratrooper wings and to pin those on Thomas on Friday. However, Mary and I witnessed probably one of the more terrible things I’ve seen in my life. On Thursday night, as they were making some of their final jumps and the sun was setting, I was looking off to the right when Mary said, “Chris, what’s going on over there?” A Sobering Incident I looked over and saw a terrible sight. One of the paratroopers’ parachute and cord got tangled with another paratrooper’s gear. His own parachute had no air in it whatsoever; it was just flopping, doing nothing for him. The other paratrooper’s parachute was compromised, so it wasn’t as full as it should have been. They were coming down at a very fast rate of descent. The paratrooper who was lower, dangling from the other’s gear, was swinging back and forth. As soon as they hit the ground, medics rushed to them, and eventually, a full ambulance arrived. I’m not sure what happened to those two paratroopers. We certainly pray that the Lord blesses them. But here’s the thing: that could have been me 21 years ago, or it could have been Thomas just a couple of days ago. It could have been the son of a kind Korean Presbyterian family we met there on the field, fellow parents of another West Point cadet. They were very reserved people, but in their few words, they made sure we knew they were Christians and that their son was a Christian. The first words out of their son’s mouth after his first jump, when he hit the ground, were, “Thank you, Jesus.” Faith in the Face of Danger I can tell you that 21 years ago, as I was going up into the plane and taking off, I was reciting the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. I was doing my best to keep the faith, should the very worst happen. If the worst had happened—if that had been the young Korean Presbyterian cadet, or Thomas, or me 21 years ago, dangling beneath another paratrooper, coming down at about 25 or 30 miles an hour—would that have meant I had less faith or didn’t believe in God enough? Three Myths About Christian Faith This brings us to the first point of what we’re discussing today: three myths about Christian faith. Some believe faith is optimism, but faith is not necessarily worldly optimism; rather, it is confidence in the goodness of God. Others believe faith is power over God, whereas we will compare it to saying, “God, thy will be done.” Finally, some believe faith is a work that merits salvation, but instead, faith receives the work of salvation that Christ earned for us on the cross. Faith Is Not Worldly Optimism Some believe faith is bold optimism—that things will work out, things will go well, and it’ll be all right in the end, at least in this world. As Christians, we believe it will be truly well in the end of ends when Christ Jesus returns in power, might, and glory. But until then, we have no guarantees. I once read an account of a Lutheran woman in labor who uttered an oral prayer. Her nurse said, “That’s right, honey, you just have to believe.” The nurse, while meaning well, conveyed that faith is mere optimism. The plain fact is that, from a worldly perspective, God has made no promises about how things will go for us. It could have been me or Thomas dangling from another’s gear. We could face any kind of fate in this world. One of my favorite passages that conveys this is Romans chapter 8, verses 31 and following: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Confidence in God’s Sovereignty Listen to this, brothers and sisters: “Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” That sounds bad enough, right? But then Paul adds ...
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    20 min
  • Sermon: On Guard Against Covetousness

    Sermon: On Guard Against Covetousness
    Aug 4 2025
    Text: Luke 12:13-21Liturgical Date: Pentecost 8 Proper 13 CCalendar Date: August 3, 2025Preacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. JacksonLocation: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door CountySaint Peter’s Lutheran Church serves Sturgeon Bay and other locations around Door County. The following transcript was produced with the assistance of AI. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Back, when I was five years old, I made my dad so proud. My dad is, also an ordained minister, and, uh, he asked me, “Chris, what did Jesus do for you?” And I said, “Jesus died on the cross to take away my sins.” And, oh, I think my mom had to sew a few buttons back on his shirt ‘cause it swelled up so big, his chest did. He was so proud that his five-year-old could give that answer. And then I just quickly pricked a hole in that swelling chest when I said, “Jesus should give them back.” Introduction to Covetousness Jesus said, “Beware of all covetousness,” or in some translations, “Beware against every form of covetousness.” And that’s our theme for today. We’re gonna be talking about three forms of covetousness. We could probably talk about many more, but we’re gonna talk about three forms of covetousness. First of all, jealousy. Second of all, misuse of earthly wealth, and then finally, hanging on to our sins. The Parable and Jealousy Christ preaches this parable today in response to a man who said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Now, that might seem a little confusing to us. Aren’t inheritances normally divided? But this wasn’t the case in the time and place of Christ. It seems to be the idea that they wanted to preserve farms and industries in whole. In other words, they didn’t wanna divide up one farm into smaller farms and therefore compromise the entire operation. Or they didn’t wanna divide up one cattle operation or one sheep operation into multiple flocks or herds because that would weaken the whole. And so the idea was to keep these sorts of assets together in order to keep the whole operation strong. And we still see that, by the way, in various places around the world. So inheritance was different than what we might expect. Essentially, what they would do is they would pass on the bulk of the inheritance to the eldest son. And it seems to be the case that one of the younger siblings of this eldest son wasn’t particularly happy with this, and so he sought relief from Jesus: “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” I actually wonder if the brother was sitting there glaring at his own brother at that time. I think it’s very much possible. But Jesus refuses to get into the middle of this argument. And really, why? Because this was a form of covetousness that this brother was showing. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house.” With these words, God instructed us not to have undue desire for the possessions of somebody else, but rather to be content with the possessions and the material abundance the Lord has given us. And this is the first form of covetousness that Jesus summons us against. God calls us to rejoice with those who rejoice. And so, if the Lord has blessed somebody else in a way that He has not blessed us, that’s not a reason for weeping and gnashing our teeth and being jealous and angry and bitter. Rather, that’s a cause for us Christians to rejoice. I praise the Lord that the Lord has blessed you in this way. This is part of God’s wisdom. He created this world with differences baked into it. It’s not just some formless blob where everything is the same. And who would wanna live in a world like that? But the Lord has blessed us each in our own way. To some, He has given business acumen; to another, He has given artistic skill. Uh, to one, He’s given the ability to speak and the ability to teach; to another, He’s granted the ability to work with the hands. And even as the Lord has gifted us differently in all these ways, also the Lord gives us different gifts materially, and that’s a cause to rejoice. Certainly, we are also called to weep with those who weep, and so therefore we show sympathy with those who have less than us. We’re gonna get to that in the next point. But as Christians, we’re called to rejoice in the blessings the Lord has granted others, whether that’s material or relationally, which gets to the Tenth Commandment: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or maidservant, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Back when I served in the suburbs in Lexington, Kentucky, that part about your ox or donkey was metaphorical here. That’s literal with a point. No matter what, it’s the same. The Lord grants us different relationships as well. He has granted some to have families, others to be single. He has granted some to have many friends, some to have a select group of friends. ...
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    17 min
  • Sermon: Blessing People on the Way to Heaven

    Sermon: Blessing People on the Way to Heaven
    Jul 3 2025
    Text: Luke 9:51-62Liturgical Date: Pentecost 3, Proper 8 CCalendar Date: June 29, 2025Location: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County; 316 W Main St, Forestville, WI 54213; 920-856-6420Preacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Jackson Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County serves Northeast Wisconsin communities like Sturgeon Bay. TRANSCRIPT Opening Prayer and Introduction In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our gospel lesson today centers on the theme of blessing people on their way to heaven. About 23 or 24 years ago, I found myself with a couple of friends in a small West Texas diner at 5:00 a.m. It was a quintessential West Texas scene: ranchers and cowboys in Stetson hats and tight-fitting blue jeans gathered around the breakfast table. They looked like they had been awake long before dawn and still had a long day ahead. As we ate our breakfast, on our way back east from a backpacking trip in the Gila Mountains of southern New Mexico, one of the cowboys at a nearby table looked over and asked, “You boys from Australia?” It was clear we didn’t belong. We replied, “No, sir, we’re from Indiana.” Close enough. Our speech, haircuts, clothes, and car made it evident we weren’t West Texas boys. Jesus as a Stranger Jesus Christ, our Lord, was also a stranger in a strange land. He walked this earth for our sake, yet He was not of this world. His true home was heaven, making Him a sojourner here. Because of this, He could bless us in a way only an outsider could. As Christians, brothers and sisters in Christ, we share this calling. Our true citizenship is in the kingdom of God, and in this world, we too are strangers. Praise be to God, for through this, the Lord blesses others through us, just as He blessed the world through Christ Jesus. Turning Point in Jesus’ Ministry Today’s gospel marks a turning point in Jesus’ life and ministry. Commentators on the Gospel of Luke, from ancient times to today, note that Luke 9:51 draws a bright line in the narrative. Here, Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem, initiating the journey that will lead to the cross, the tomb, the resurrection, and ultimately, His ascension, which is mentioned in this very verse. Jesus, a Galilean from the north, centered around the Sea of Galilee, turns His back on His homeland. You’ve heard the saying, “You can never go back home.” That’s what’s happening here. Jesus leaves the region of His early ministry in Galilee and heads south to Judea. The Journey Through Samaria To reach Judea, He must pass through Samaria, a region inhabited by Samaritans. The Samaritans and Jews differed significantly, particularly in their views on worship. Jews believed God was rightly worshiped only in Jerusalem, at the temple on Mount Zion, the center of their religious life, no matter where they lived. Samaritans, however, worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in their own land. When they saw Jesus’ face set toward Jerusalem, not their land, they rejected Him. He didn’t belong. Rejection in Jerusalem Jesus was a stranger not only in Samaria but also in Jerusalem. Though He was welcomed with fanfare upon entering the city, the cries of “Hosanna, save us!” soon turned to “Crucify Him!” Instead of being embraced, He was cast out and crucified outside the city gates—an ultimate act of rejection. Jesus didn’t belong in Galilee, Samaria, or even Jerusalem. His true home was heaven. Luke 9:51 notes that “the days drew near for Him to be taken up.” When a man approached and said, “Jesus, I will follow you wherever you go,” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” He was a stranger on this earth. Salvation Through Christ Praise be to God for this. Because Jesus didn’t fit in, He brought what only someone from the heavenly kingdom could: salvation. This world is captive to sin, which, as Romans describes, is enmity against God—opposition to His will. Jesus, however, loved the Father with His whole heart, soul, strength, and mind. He trusted the Father even to the point of death, commending His spirit into His Father’s hands. The wages of sin is death, for turning away from the Giver of Life leads to destruction, chaos, and darkness. But Jesus, through His absolute love, faith, and service in His death, conquered death. It had no hold on Him. This world, consumed by sin, is marked by death and chaos, but the brilliant light of the empty tomb testifies that Christ has defeated these forces. Christ’s Ascension and Intercession Because Jesus was not at home in this world, He ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He belongs. As the writer of Hebrews says, we have a sympathetic High Priest who bears our prayers to the Father, interceding for us even when we falter. Reigning with all authority, Christ works all things for the good of those who love Him, as St. Paul assures...
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    28 min
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